AL Cy Young winner and the 2nd and 3rd place finishers in the AL MVP ballot, yet still didn't even make the playoffs. 
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Hot stove is actually heating up already.Comment -
There are plenty of opportunities available for the Yankees, widely expected to be one of the league’s more active teams this winter. After dipping below the luxury tax threshold to reset their penalties in 2021, it seems the club is poised for a big offseason.
Early comments from general manager Brian Cashman have stoked that fire, with the baseball ops leader telling reporters at last week’s GM Meetings the front office has some financial leeway. Owner Hal Steinbrenner echoed that sentiment, telling David Lennon of Newsday that Cashman’s suggestion is “accurate.” The New York chairman declined to delve into specifics about where the club’s budgetary limit might land, but he didn’t downplay the possibility of some noteworthy moves.
The most straightforward path to a big winter would seem to be dipping into the free agent shortstop market. Not only has Cashman already professed a desire to upgrade the position, he’s confirmed the club has been in contact with the reps for multiple free agents. Jon Heyman of the MLB Network tweeted this week that the Yankees and incumbent Dodgers were among the clubs with interest in Corey Seager, while Yankees’ brass has expressed a willingness to consider Carlos Correa despite his role in the Astros’ sign-stealing scandal.
It remains to be seen whether the Yankees will be willing to commit anywhere in the neighborhood of the $300+MM guarantees it could take to land Seager or Correa though. The club has two of the game’s most promising shortstop prospects — Oswald Peraza and Anthony Volpe — rising up the minor league ranks. Matthew Roberson of the New York Daily News reported yesterday that the Yankees were more likely to pursue a stopgap option than to play at the top of the market at the position based on the belief that Peraza and/or Volpe could take the reins in the not too distant future. If the Yankees were to eschew the star free agents at the top of the market, Andrelton Simmons or Freddy Galvis could profile as short-term options to stabilize the infield defense.
Whether the Yankees should be willing to sit out this offseason’s shortstop class is up for debate, but doing so could allow them to allocate more funds towards locking up star outfielder Aaron Judge on a long-term deal. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects Judge to command a salary in the $17.1MM range in 2022, his final season of arbitration eligibility. The three-time All-Star is slated to reach free agency next offseason.
Judge has already expressed openness to an extension. Cashman told reporters (including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com) this evening the club was willing to talk about a long-term deal with Judge’s representatives but hasn’t yet opened talks. Locking up Judge at this stage of his career would no doubt require a massive investment. The 29-year-old has already banked a significant amount during his run through arbitration, and he’s coming off a stellar .287/.373/.544 showing across 633 plate appearances.
A reunion with Brett Gardner would require a far smaller outlay but could eventually be on the to-do list. The Yankees have continued to bring the fourteen-year veteran back in recent seasons, but the 38-year-old is currently a free agent after both sides declined their ends of a 2022 option. The Yankees haven’t discussed a potential reunion with Gardner’s reps in the early stages of the offseason, Cashman said (via Hoch), but the GM said his belief is the career-long Yankee intends to continue playing.
In non-player news, Cashman also expressed a desire to expand the coaching staff. The Yankees are planning to hire three hitting coaches and an additional pitching instructor (Hoch link). That’s become an increasingly common approach, particularly this offseason. We’ve already seen teams like the Brewers and Orioles hire two hitting instructors as co-hitting coaches, with an assistant working underneath that top duo. The Yankees parted ways with previous hitting coach Marcus Thames at the end of the season.Comment -
Tell me about it if there's no baseball this spring I'll be a little depressed because I always look forward to opening day and another fantasy baseball season because to be honest even though I'm actually pretty good at the other fantasy sports most specifically fantasy football fantasy baseball remains my favorite I guess because it's every day and you have to stay on top of it. It's much more challenging than fantasy football by far.Comment -
Will Bryce Harper ever get a world series thoughComment -
Heyward and Hosmer could be a fantastic duo in Padre Brown!Comment -
This evening marked the deadline for teams to add Rule 5 draft-eligible players to their 40-man rosters. Accordingly, we’ve seen a large swath of transactions within the last couple days. Here, we’ll make note of the players each team protected from the Rule 5 draft, acquired from outside the organization, and removed from the roster before the deadline. We’ll also keep track of how many 40-man roster spots each team has left vacant.
AL East
Baltimore Orioles
- Added to roster: Felix Bautista, Kyle Bradish, Logan Gillaspie, DL Hall, Kevin Smith, Terrin Vavra
- Claimed: Lucius Fox (from Royals)
- Number of open roster spots: 1
Boston Red Sox
- Added to roster: Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford, Jeter Downs, Josh Winckowski
- Number of open roster spots: 3
New York Yankees
- Added to roster: Oswaldo Cabrera, Ron Marinaccio, Everson Pereira, Stephen Ridings, JP Sears
- Designated for assignment: Clint Frazier, Rougned Odor, Tyler Wade
- Traded: Nick Nelson, Donny Sands (to Phillies)
- Number of open roster spots: 0
Tampa Bay Rays
- Added to roster: Jonathan Aranda, Calvin Faucher, Ford Proctor, Tommy Romero
- Traded: Brent Honeywell Jr. (to A’s)
- Number of open roster spots: 0
Toronto Blue Jays
- Added to roster: Hagen Danner, Bowden Francis, Leo Jimenez, Zach Logue
- Claimed: Shaun Anderson (from Padres)
- Number of open roster spots: 2
AL Central
Chicago White Sox
- Added to roster: Jason Bilous, Bennett Sousa
- Number of open roster spots: 5
Cleveland Guardians
- Added to roster: Tyler Freeman, Steven Kwan, Bryan Lavastida, Cody Morris, Jhonkensy Noel, Richie Palacios, Konnor Pilkington, Bryan Rocchio, Jose Tena, George Valera
- Acquired: Tobias Myers (from Tampa Bay)
- Designated for assignment: Justin Garza, Daniel Johnson, J.C. Mejia, Scott Moss, Kyle Nelson, Harold Ramirez, Alex Young
- Number of open roster spots: 0
Detroit Tigers
- Added to roster: Kody Clemenes, Angel De Jesus
- Outrighted: Niko Goodrum, Jacob Robson, Nivaldo Rodriguez
- Number of open roster spots: 1
Kansas City Royals
- Added to roster: Jonathan Bowlan, Maikel Garcia, MJ Melendez, Nick Pratto, Collin Snider, Nathan Webb
- Lost on waivers: Lucius Fox (to Orioles)
- Designated for assignment: Kyle Zimmer
- Number of open roster spots: 0
Minnesota Twins
- Added to roster: Blayne Enlow, Royce Lewis, Jose Miranda, Cole Sands, Chris Vallimont, Josh Winder
- Designated for assignment: Willians Astudillo, Charlie Barnes
- Outrighted: Kyle Garlick, Devin Smeltzer
- Number of open roster spots: 0
AL West
Houston Astros
- Added to roster: Jonathan Bermudez, Shawn Dubin, Jeremy Pena, Joe Perez
- Traded: Garrett Stubbs (to Phillies)
- Lost on waivers: Kent Emanuel (to Phillies)
- Outrighted: Freudis Nova
- Number of open roster spots: 1
Los Angeles Angels
- Added to roster: Elvis Peguero
- Outrighted: Chad Wallach
- Number of open roster spots: 0
Oakland Athletics
- Added to roster: Nick Allen, Jonah Bride, Jordan Diaz, Jorge Juan, Cody Thomas
- Acquired: Brent Honeywell (from Rays)
- Number of open roster spots: 6
Seattle Mariners
- Added to roster: Ray Kerr, Alberto Rodriguez, Julio Rodriguez’
- Number of open roster spots: 1
Texas Rangers
- Added to roster: Ezequiel Duran, Ronny Henriquez, Ricky Vanasco
- Outrighted: Kyle Cody, Edwar Colina
- Number of open roster spots: 3
NL East
Atlanta Braves
- Added to roster: Freddy Tarnok, Drew Waters, Brooks Wilson, William Woods
- Number of open roster spots: 0
Miami Marlins
- Added to roster: None
- Number of open roster spots: 0
New York Mets
- Added to roster: Jose Butto, Ronny Mauricio, Adam Oller, Mark Vientos
- Number of open roster spots: 3
Philadelphia Phillies
- Added to roster: Luis Garcia, James McArthur, Jhailyn Ortiz
- Acquired: Nick Nelson, Donny Sands (from Yankees), Garrett Stubbs (from Astros)
- Claimed: Kent Emanuel (from Astros)
- Number of open roster spots: 1
Washington Nationals
- Added to roster: Donovan Casey, Evan Lee
- Number of open roster spots: 1
NL Central
Chicago Cubs
- Added to roster: Ethan Roberts, Nelson Velazquez
- Number of open roster spots: 3
Cincinnati Reds
- Added to roster: Allan Cerda, Alexis Diaz, Daniel Duarte, Hunter Greene, James Marinan
- Number of open roster spots: 0
Milwaukee Brewers
- Added to roster: None
- Outrighted: Mark Mathias
- Number of open roster spots: 5
Pittsburgh Pirates
- Added to roster: Liover Peguero, Canaan Smith-Njigba, Jack Suwinski, Travis Swaggerty
- Designated for assignment: Michael Perez
- Number of open roster spots: 0
St. Louis Cardinals
- Added to roster: Brendan Donovan, Freddy Pacheco, Jake Walsh
- Number of open roster spots: 4
NL West
Arizona Diamondbacks
- Added to roster: Cooper Hummel, Kristian Robinson, Ryan Weiss
- Outrighted: Miguel Aguilar, Kevin Ginkel, Riley Smith
- Number of open roster spots: 1
Colorado Rockies
- Added to roster: Noah Davis, Ryan Rolison, Ezequiel Tovar
- Number of open roster spots: 1
Los Angeles Dodgers
- Added to roster: Jacob Amaya, Michael Grove, Eddys Leonard, James Outman, Jorbit Vivas
- Designated for assignment: Billy McKinney, Zach Reks
- Number of open roster spots: 0
San Diego Padres
- Added to roster: Efrain Contreras, MacKenzie Gore, Eguy Rosario, Steven Wilson
- Lost on waivers: Shaun Anderson (to Blue Jays)
- Outrighted: Reggie Lawson, Jorge Ona
- Number of open roster spots: 0
San Francisco Giants
- Added to roster: Sean Hjelle, Heliot Ramos, Randy Rodriguez
- Designated for assignment: Jay Jackson, Dedniel Nunez (returned to Mets as 2020 Rule 5 draftee)
- Number of open roster spots: 0
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I know what you're saying, he did his job with the Pads while he was there.
Now, he's not a fit in the direction SD is going.
Hosmer can fill the role Carlos Santana did for us last season.Comment -
KC has Pratto and that other guy for 1b. They don’t need another washed up loser blocking themComment -
How many years can ohtani be a two way player?
Who's the last guy to do it in consecutive yearsComment -
You talking about Hunter Dozier?
Yeah, he plays all all the corners, !B, 3B, LF
O'Hearn more than likely will be traded or learn to love life in Omaha.
Nick Prato is the future at 1B but he hasn't had a MLB at bat yet.
And I'm not even saying start Hosmer, he's knows the fundamentals of hitting inside out, and he's got managerial skills too.
Point being Prato can benefit from having Hosmer around.
If Prato pans out and can hit MLB pitching like he did AAA pitching, man, that IF will be stacked.
Mondesi Jr., Witt Jr., Prato.
Benetendi and Whit in the outfield too.Comment -
Never really much of a hitter.
Won gold five times in right field.
One of the best fielding outfielders of his generation.
Year Age Tm Lg G PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB SO BA OBP SLG OPS OPS+ GDP Awards 2010 20 ATL NL 142 623 520 83 144 29 5 18 72 11 6 91 128 0.277 0.393 0.456 0.849 131 13 AS,MVP-20,RoY-2 2011 21 ATL NL 128 456 396 50 90 18 2 14 42 9 2 51 93 0.227 0.319 0.389 0.708 93 7 2012 22 ATL NL 158 651 587 93 158 30 6 27 82 21 8 58 152 0.269 0.335 0.479 0.814 117 4 MVP-28,GG 2013 23 ATL NL 104 440 382 67 97 22 1 14 38 2 4 48 73 0.254 0.349 0.427 0.776 114 7 2014 24 ATL NL 149 649 573 74 155 26 3 11 58 20 4 67 98 0.271 0.351 0.384 0.735 109 2 GG 2015 25 STL NL 154 610 547 79 160 33 4 13 60 23 3 56 90 0.293 0.359 0.439 0.797 117 13 MVP-15,GG 2016 26 CHC NL 142 592 530 61 122 27 1 7 49 11 4 54 93 0.23 0.306 0.325 0.631 68 12 GG 2017 27 CHC NL 126 481 432 59 112 15 4 11 59 4 4 41 67 0.259 0.326 0.389 0.715 84 8 GG 2018 28 CHC NL 127 489 440 67 119 23 4 8 57 1 1 42 60 0.27 0.335 0.395 0.731 94 7 2019 29 CHC NL 147 589 513 78 129 20 4 21 62 8 3 68 110 0.251 0.343 0.429 0.772 100 12 2020 30 CHC NL 50 181 147 20 39 6 2 6 22 2 0 30 37 0.265 0.392 0.456 0.848 129 1 2021 31 CHC NL 104 353 323 35 69 15 2 8 30 5 1 27 68 0.214 0.28 0.347 0.627 68 4 12 Yrs 1531 6114 5390 766 1394 264 38 158 631 117 40 633 1069 0.259 0.341 0.41 0.75 102 90 162 Game Avg. 162 647 570 81 148 28 4 17 67 12 4 67 113 0.259 0.341 0.41 0.75 102 10 CHC (6 yrs) 696 2685 2385 320 590 106 17 61 279 31 13 262 435 0.247 0.326 0.383 0.708 87 44 ATL (5 yrs) 681 2819 2458 367 644 125 17 84 292 63 24 315 544 0.262 0.351 0.429 0.781 114 33 STL (1 yr) 154 610 547 79 160 33 4 13 60 23 3 56 90 0.293 0.359 0.439 0.797 117 13 Comment -
With his size, it seemed like Heyward should have been a big Homerun guy. Just such a messed up swing. Very good eye and good fielder his whole career though.Comment -
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Matt Carpenter has heard from a few teams about a potential contract, but he is “super prepared for an extremely slow free-agency pace here,” the former Cardinals All-Star told The Athletic’s Katie Woo. “I totally understand that I’m not necessarily a highly sought-after free agent and that there are a lot of unknowns going forward.” Even without the uncertainty of labor talks and a potential transactions freeze looming this offseason, Carpenter likely would have faced a thin market anyway considering his lack of production over the last three seasons.
However, Carpenter sees possible changes to the sport as helpful to his chances of landing a new job. Should the DH come to the National League, for instance, or “the potential of banning and limiting shifts” becomes a reality, Carpenter might draw more interest. Within a week of his 36th birthday, Carpenter reiterated that he wants to continue his career into a 12th big league season, but seemed at peace with whatever the offseason will bring. “If I play, no matter where, I’ll be perfectly happy with that,” Carpenter said. “And if I don’t, and if I’m staying home and going to be a dad and I finished my career with one and only one organization, I’ll be perfectly happy with that as well.”
More from around baseball…
- The Pirates are still “hopeful” of re-signing Yoshi Tsutsugo, GM Ben Cherington told The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Kevin Gorman and other reporters. The two sides were in talks before free agency opened, though Cherington didn’t give any hints about any possible progress towards a deal. Tsutsugo started games at first base and both corner outfield positions for the Pirates in 2021, and while that versatility would still be factored into Pittsburgh’s plans for next season, Cherington did note that “most of our conversations have been around first base.” That doesn’t seem to bode well for Colin Moran, who is currently penciled in as the Pirates’ first baseman for next year, and is (like Tsutsugo) a left-handed hitter. For what it’s worth, Tsutsugo has shown reverse-splits tendencies during his two MLB seasons, though that amounts to only 447 total plate appearances.
- The Braves have six seasons remaining on their current TV contract with Bally Sports, and the team will soon receive an increase in their annual revenues from that deal, Tim Tucker of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Beginning in 2023, the Braves will receive over $100MM per year, and that number will rise to close to $120MM by 2027. It isn’t known if this increase will directly impact payroll, but Atlanta president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos has said the Braves have more available to spend in 2022. The TV contract and other details about the team’s business were revealed in a Liberty Media (the Braves’ parent corporation) investors conference this past Thursday, which included Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei saying that there weren’t any plans to sell the Braves. Given all the positive information presented to investors, it isn’t surprising that Liberty Media would want to keep the team, as revenues generally continued to rebound both in the wake of the pandemic, and with the Braves’ World Series run adding even more of a benefit. As Maffei simply put it, “it has been a pretty good run” for Liberty Media since buying the club in 2007.
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One of the best at what he does, that being super utility dude.
Every team needs a Swiss Army Knife in their dugout.
Not many can play every infield position, outfield if he has too, and come off the bench as pinch hitter and pinch fielder.
.368 career OBA is rock solid, close to elite.Comment -
Carpenter was a Dodgers killer. Good luck to him.Comment -
Carpenter is a strikeout machine at this point. Pitchers own him, shell of his old self.Comment -
Carp has done well for himself.
Year Age Tm Salary SrvTm Sources Notes/Other Sources 2012 26 St. Louis Cardinals $480,000 0.012 contracts 2013 27 St. Louis Cardinals $504,000 1.012 contracts 2014 28 St. Louis Cardinals $1,000,000 2.012 contracts 2015 29 St. Louis Cardinals $3,750,000 3.012 contracts 2016 30 St. Louis Cardinals $6,500,000 4.012 2017 31 St. Louis Cardinals $10,000,000 5.012 contracts 2018 32 St. Louis Cardinals $13,750,000 6.012 2019 33 St. Louis Cardinals $14,750,000 7.012 contract 2020 34 St. Louis Cardinals $18,500,000 8.012 contract 2021 35 St. Louis Cardinals $18,500,000 9.012 contract 2022 36 St. Louis Cardinals *$18,500,000 10.012 $18.5M Vesting Option, $2M Buyout Option vests with 1100 PA total in 2020-21 and 550 PA in 2021 Career to date (may be incomplete) $87,734,000 Does not include future salaries ($0) Comment -
MLB has told teams that outfielder Seiya Suzuki will be posted tomorrow morning, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. That will open a 30-day window for teams to negotiate with him, with the deadline being 4:00 pm CT on December 22. If he doesn’t sign a contract by then, he will return to the Hiroshima Carp, his team in Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball.
It was reported weeks ago that Suzuki was going to be posted, but the official timing of the posting is significant. The Collective Bargaining Agreement between MLB and MLBPA is set to expire at 11:59 pm ET on December 1. Due to the fact that it seems unlikely a deal will come together by then, the expectation around the industry has been that December 2 will see the implementation of a lockout and transaction freeze that would last until a new agreement is reached. Commissioner Rob Manfred discussed this scenario recently and seemed to point to its likelihood.
There’s a ten-day span from Suzuki’s posting tomorrow until that potential lockout day. Joel Sherman of the New York Post confirms that a transaction freeze would indeed apply to Suzuki as well, meaning no team could sign him while the freeze is in place. It had been previously reported that MLB and NPB were discussing an agreement wherein Suzuki’s 30-day clock would be paused during the freeze. That agreement seems to have been reached, as Sherman also reports that Suzuki’s 30-day clock will not move during a lockout. That means Suzuki is going to have to decide between hastily working out a deal in just over a week or dealing with the uncertainty of waiting out this winter’s labor strife and then having around 20 days of negotiating time on the other side of that.
Suzuki came in 20th on MLBTR’s list of Top 50 Free Agents and was predicted to get a contract of $55MM over five years. The 27-year-old seems capable of stepping right into the middle of the lineup for an MLB team, along with providing a strong arm and competent right field defense. Any big league team that signs Suzuki would owe the Carp a fee equal to 20% of the contract’s first $25MM, 17.5% of the next $25MM and 15% of any dollars thereafter. For example, if Suzuki were signed for $55MM as MLBTR predicted, the signing team would have to pay the Carp $10.125MM, bringing the total bill to $65.125MM. Since the reports that he was going to be posted, Suzuki has already been connected in rumors to the Red Sox, Rangers, Giants and Mariners.Comment -
Read where Boston is making a big push for Robbie Ray.Comment -
No talk of Hosmer to cubs outside of Peavy.Comment
